George Patte recently released his first novel, entitled Keene’s Law. The story is centered on the real estate title to a large tract of Adirondack wilderness, and employs the author’s background in real estate law, an area in which he has thirty years experience.

The historical fiction novel required the author to research what is known as Macomb’s Purchase and follows a fictional account of a trial on ownership of the tract and the outcome of a secret escrow deed held by lawyer Keene Durant, which draws his son, Jack, inextricably into the resolution. But not before Kora Longfellow has her say as sole heir, and as Jack’s true love, to the wilderness land.

Traversing the peaks and valleys of alpine landscapes and human passions, Keene’s Law is the story of two families, through three generations, working to shape and preserve the wilderness of the Adirondacks.  Author George Patte uses exquisite imagery to explore the North Country of 1894, and the boundaries of the human heart at the intersection of passion and principle.  Attorney Keene Durant, having made a judgment call on behalf of his deceased client, William Longfellow, sets in motion a complex legal knot for the next generation,  Jack Durant and Kora Longfellow, to untangle.  Childhood friends and now lovers, they find themselves divided by the land they love, and by betrayals and heartbreak.  This timely historical novel showcases the joys of fly-fishing in a pristine Adirondack stream and the courage required to endure nature’s trials in the wilderness.  Finally, it asks the reader to examine the role of the wilderness, and the importance of preserving what remains of it today.

You may order Keene’s Law from Mr. Patte’s Ithaca office by writing to PO Box 174, Ithaca, NY 14851-0174 or by e-mail.